Why Does He Call Me Father?
by Ghostly Fades
Summary: When Morningflower asks Tallstar to watch Gorsekit for the day, it leads to a chat between leader and warrior about why Gorsekit kept calling Tallstar his father, which leads to a confession Tallstar never thought would go down. [Tall x Morning] [Cover image not mine]


_**Takes place a week after WindClan was brought home and Brokentail with his followers were chased out by ThunderClan:**_

"Tallstar, can you watch Gorsekit?"

" _Watch_ him?"

Morningflower flicked her tail, "That is what I asked you." Her kit snuggling by his mother more as she stood in front of her leader. "I need to go and helped the others and Gorsekit needs to be watched."

"But... but surely another warrior can watch him!" Tallstar said, taking a step. Sure he had to watch his siblings when they were growing up, but never before he had watched another queen's kits other than his mother's.

"You're the only one I trust with my kit, besides, you seem to have a liking to him," Morningflower told him as she nudged her son towards Tallstar, "I'm sure you can watch him with ease."

"Morningflower, I have things I need to do, I don't have time to watch Gorsekit for you."

"Well, take him along with you until I come and get him."

"I'm not going to have a say in this, aren't I?"

Morningflower gazed behind her shoulder as she padded away, "No," she shook her head, "not really. Don't worry, he's been feed and he won't bug you unless he wants to play. Let him chase your long tail around."

"Now that's just cruel to me _and_ my tail," Tallstar said with little emotion in his voice as the queen vanished out of sight. His amber eyes went down to the young kit, who was looking up at him, the kit's own bright amber eyes gave him a look. "I believe you won't be too much trouble for my duties today."

Gorsekit gave his leader a look before trying to jump on his long tail, trying to get a little play time out of the moment before he was picked up and began moving away. His amber eyes gave a look at the big black-and-white cat before he happily gave a mew and looked around, all the other warriors giving him a playful look and some looks that made him shy away.

They laughed.

The kit wasn't used to looks that showed him he was liked by them, his mother only gave him those looks, and his possible 'father' who never visited him because of whatever reason. Why most believed he didn't have one and he was killed off or he was too embarrassed to admit he was Gorsekit's father, but it _was_ Morningflower's choice in saying the father.

At one point, word went around that Tallstar might be Gorsekit's dad, but the leader wasn't going to allow it to be carried on and shot it down, despite Morningflower's comments about how that would be the day. Then again, the kit did take a liking to the WindClan leader.

"Tallstar? Why do you have Gorsekit?" Tallstar's first stop was to see Onewhisker and Mudclaw. They were tasked with setting up a border patrol by Deadfoot, who was trying to look into something about getting the she-cat he wanted. Ashfoot or some other one.

The leader placed the kit down. "Morningflower tasked me with watching him until she came and got him. If you ask me, I didn't have a choice in the matter, so here I am, watching her kit."

"He likes you," Mudclaw teased. "You sure you ain't his dad?"

"I'm sure."

"Hey here, Gorsekit, hanging with ol' Tallstar?" Mudclaw asked him, giving a light snicker. "StarClan, I can see you being a father-like figure to him, after all, you're the only one he takes a liking to."

Tallstar stopped himself to roll his eyes, "Yes, well, we'll see when he's older. I bet he'll like someone else to be his father figure."

"I don't know, Tallstar, he doesn't seem to think about one other tom being his father but you," Onewhisker added on, "surely he could grow on you. You treat everyone here like their your kits."

"Because it's the right thing to do," Tallstar flicked his tail. "If anything I don't think I will have kits."

"Sure, sure."

When he was done with those two, he picked up the kit and made his way to the next stop. Barkface was sorting through herbs and they had the same conversation he had with Onewhisker and Mudclaw. Gorsekit casually looked around the den, sniffing the herbs, making Tallstar having to stop him every time he tried to eat one.

The leader was always telling him no, to stop, explaining how it wasn't a good idea to eat those things, anything he could think of to make Gorsekit obey him and behave until his mother came back to collect him. Barkface laughed and gave the young kit a nuzzle before following them out of the Medicine Cat den, saying how he could see Gorsekit did not want to be a medicine cat.

Before he could head outside of the camp and right towards Tornear, he sat down Gorsekit and bent down so they were looking eye to eye, and the kit purred before placing his tiny paws on his muzzle. Tallstar felt a purr coming on but held it back, trying to keep his leader-like figure on and not giving in to the kit-like he would but everyone would see him.

"Gorsekit, we're going outside of camp, and when we do, you need to listen to me, okay?" Tallstar told the young kit.

Gorsekit cocked his head to the side, "Why?" he squeaked out.

"Because outside of camp is dangerous for kits. Eagles could get to you and snack you away, now, we don't want our newest generation to get snatch away, do we? Not to mention your mother will kill me and send me to StarClan if she loses her son."

"Okay!"

The kit moved so he could climb up on his back-like a badger ride- and Tallstar sighed before lowering himself lower so he could climb up before making his way to Tornear. Finding him sitting on a rock, looking the way to seek out StarClan. Watching for any signs of Brokentail's followers, thank StarClan for Bluestar's warriors.

It had only been about a week since.

"Tornear, how are things?" Tallstar asked his warrior, climbing up the rock.

"Good, no followers of Brokentail. Which means they didn't come this way when they got out of the forest," Tornear said, keeping his eyes on the path, before noticing Gorsekit. "Why is he out of camp?"

"Morningflower told me to watch him. It was the only way to get things done," Tallstar sighed. "Every warrior I met with has mentioned him."

"Must be hard being a father."

Tallstar blinked, his long tail flicked. "I am not his father, Tornear."

"You act like it."

"Tornear, I may act like when he's with or around me, but that's only because someone has to act like it so he doesn't believe he does not have a father," Tallstar explained. "Morningflower has not said who fathered him, and that's fine."

"Fine, fine. But what if he doesn't want to leave with his mother when the day is done?"

"He will. He cannot stay with me throughout the night since Morningflower will want her son back for the night, and most likely will have me look after him again until I will agree without question."

"Maybe one day she'll tell us who fathered him, and she'll have to tell him when he asks."

Gorsekit snuggled into Tallstar's back and purred lightly, "Dada."

"...Eh?!" Tallstar jumped at the name and Tornear snickered. "Gorsekit, I am not your father, understand?"

"Dada."

"Ugh..."

Tornear laughed, "Well, I hope you have something to say to Morningflower about that." He held a paw to his mouth to keep him from laughing out loud.

"I certainly hope this will only last for the day, I don't wish to be called a father by him all the time when he's older and such," Tallstar mumbled under his breath.

By the end of his duties, Tallstar was laying down with his tail flicked over his paws while Gorsekit played with a butterfly. The leader watched him carefully, watching for the sound of an eagle coming into play, having to being extra careful with the little kit. His amber eyes gave a sparkle before closing for a moment, hoping to get a few moments of silence.

His eyes shot open when he saw Gorsekit nuzzling into his side. His hind legs were laying down while his front paws held him up as he nuzzled into the warm fur of his leader. His little tail was barely touching the ground, and Tallstar's amber eyes locked down on the tiny kit, a smile picking at his muzzle before he allowed it.

Screw it.

What could he do if the kit liked him so much? It was clear Gorsekit liked him more than what toms could be his father in the Clan. Barkface was ruled out because he was a medicine cat and hadn't taken an interest in she-cats before.

"Dada," Gorsekit purred out, placing his paws on Tallstar. "Dada." He nuzzled his side more.

Tallstar gave out a sigh, and nuzzled the kit right back, "I'm not your father, Gorsekit."

"You are."

"How so?"

Gorsekit gave a little laugh. "Because you are."

 _I suppose if he spent time with me, and likes me, that could lead him to believe I'm his father..._

"Gorsekit, you can ask your mother about your father, but it won't be me who she answers with," Tallstar explained. "I promise you whoever she answers with, will make you happy."

"She going to say you." Gorsekit purred gently. "I already asked."

Tallstar stopped.

Morningflower told her son, that _he_ was Gorsekit's father? Since when was he a father? He couldn't remember when they mated, and he knew they hadn't at all for what he could think of, and maybe there was a possibility he was, but it didn't make sense to him at all. How did Morningflower believe he was her son's father?

Yeah, no doubt he would be chatting with her later.

When Morningflower came around to pick up her son, Gorsekit was having his nap when she purred gently and sat down, placing her son in her front paws and looked at her leader.

"Thank you for watching him," Morningflower thanked him.

"Morningflower, I need to ask you a question," Tallstar cleared his throat. "It's about Gorsekit's father."

Morningflower stopped. "What about him?"

"Why did he say _I_ was his father?"

"Ah, well, he likes you a lot, and he likes to act like he's you. Before we were driven out by Brokentail, Gorsekit went on about how he could take on anything and..."

Tallstar blinked. "You thought it was okay to say he was my son?"

Morningflower gave a soft lick to her son's head and looked away from her leader's eyes. Unable to speak more about why she told Gorsekit he was Tallstar's son, and Tallstar held his breath for a moment. Expect her to say more instead of being quiet like she was doing right now. Anything would be good right now so it wouldn't be awkward.

Yet it seemed like StarClan was turning this into something he didn't know what to do in.

"Morningflower, I need you to answer my question." Tallstar demanded.

"Because he _is_ your son!" Morningflower shouted and Tallstar froze. "I know he doesn't look like you, since he's a brown tabby tom. But he does has short, thick, fur."

"I... I didn't think..."

So his old apprentice's son, was his own? But when did they...?

Morningflower held her-their-son and looked down. "I know you don't remember, but it was during my heat... I guess you don't think back to it since you need to focus on our Clan..."

"So... so when he called me..." Tallstar mumbled under his breath. "He's my son?!"

"Yes."

She looked ashamed, and Tallstar felt his head spin.

"I'm not mad, Morningflower," Tallstar sighed. "Just... why didn't you tell me when I first came to look at him? When I first came to see the new generation of warriors, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I felt like you would be... like you didn't want to be a father."

"That does not change anything."

Her head shot up, "Are you telling me you want to be one?"

"I suppose it never crossed my mind, but... Gorsekit is my own, my kin, my kit. I will try and be the father he wants, but there is no telling what could happen between us."

"All he wanted was to be like his father."

Moving in to give his mate(it was weird to call her that, but it was implied since Gorsekit was his own) a nuzzle and licked her cheek before flicked his tail around her back, giving Gorsekit a look.

"He will be, I will make sure he gets the best mentor in the Clan," Tallstar promised. "And I will make sure he is protected."

"Thank you."

"No," He shook his head, "thank you for the son I have and thank you for telling me what you were so afraid of saying."

Maybe it was a good idea to have him watch Gorsekit because it lead to something, she never thought would be told. Gorsekit would finally have the father he always wanted, and now, the Clan didn't have to wonder who was his father because she knew Tallstar would tell the whole Clan about them.

No doubt.

 _ **Though it was said Tallstar is not Gorsepaw's father, I do believe he is in some sense, and besides Tall and Jake, I do ship Tallstar and Morningflower a great deal.**_

 _ **So, I have Tallstar as Gorsepaw's father**_


End file.
